For years, Danica Patrick has been under the microscope for various reasons, right from her results to the reactions to crashes. However, Denny Hamlin has now praised a move that Patrick used to make after a crash. 

The move was brought back into the spotlight after a horrific crash in Michigan involving Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott. During the crash, Bell made impact with the outside wall at 200 mph, and this crash resulted in wrist and ankle injuries. 

While discussing the incident on the “Actions Detrimental” podcast, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was questioned about how there's little to no time to react to the accident, making it difficult for the driver to get their hands off the wheel. He recalled the move Patrick did during a crash. 

“That's why you see when drivers know they're going to hit the wall, they usually tuck their arms in. People used to make fun of Danica Patrick for doing that, but it's the smartest thing you can do.”

He further added, “Because when the tires hit whatever they hit and your hands, you know, how you usually hold the wheel, your thumbs are in there, that wheel has no mercy. It's going to spin one way or another, and those spokes on those wheels will absolutely just kill a hand.”

During a 2012 interview with Crash, the former NASCAR driver was questioned about why she takes her hands off the wheel. She revealed that it was a habit she had picked up from her time in IndyCar. 

"In Indy cars, we learn to take the hands off the wheel because the holes for your hand are even smaller and we have dashes and the wheel flips," she explained. 

This move is somewhat common now across all the divisions of motorsports. As stated by Patrick and Hamlin, this move helps protect the driver's hands from damage caused by the impact of a crash. 

Even though she faced criticism for this move, Patrick went on to write her name in NASCAR’s history.

When Danica Patrick Won the Daytona 500 Pole Position

Before racing in NASCAR, Patrick had been making history in IndyCar, winning the race at Twin Ring Motegi. However, things were about to change for her on February 17, 2013. 

She wrote her name in NASCAR’s history as she became the first woman to secure a pole position at the Daytona 500. She put in a lap at  196.434 mph at the Daytona International Speedway, beating four-time champion Jeff Gordon. 

"I was brought up to be the fastest driver, not the fastest girl. That was instilled in me from a very young, from the beginning," Patrick said while talking to the media post-qualifying. 

During the race, she led for five laps. She was eventually forced to settle for an eighth-place finish and became the first woman to finish the Daytona 500 in the top 10. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Ankita Yadav